stop-out survey report - bergen.edu

October 2016

BERGEN

COMMUNITY

COLLEGE STOP-OUT SURVEY REPORT

1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Highlights ................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Reasons for Entering Bergen Community College .................................................................................................................. 4

Reasons for not Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College ................................................................................................. 5

Reasons for not Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College (continued) .............................................................................. 6

Transferring to another College/University ............................................................................................................................ 7

Transferring to another College/University (continued) ........................................................................................................ 8

Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College ............................................................................................................................ 9

Planning to Transfer to another College/University ............................................................................................................. 10

Recommending Bergen Community College ........................................................................................................................ 11

Recommending Bergen Community College (continued) .................................................................................................... 12

Additional Comments ........................................................................................................................................................... 13

Additional Comments (continued) ........................................................................................................................................ 14

Appendix A ............................................................................................................................................................................ 19

Appendix B ............................................................................................................................................................................ 23

Appendix C ............................................................................................................................................................................ 28

2

Highlights

The Stop-Out Survey was administered to students who had previously enrolled at BCC in Fall 2015, but

had not re-enrolled in Fall 2016.

The invitation to participate in the survey was sent to the students’ Bergen and personal email

addresses. Two hundred ninety-eight students responded to this invitation.

Forty-four percent of respondents reported that they entered Bergen Community College for the

purpose of obtaining an associate’s degree while 26% of respondents indicated they had entered BCC

to take courses necessary for transfer to another institution.

When asked why they left BCC, 62 respondents indicated that they had issues with financial aid while

52 respondents indicated that they could no longer afford to attend BCC. Sixteen respondents were

uncertain about the value of a college education.

One hundred forty-two respondents said they plan to re-enroll at Bergen Community College at some

point in the future.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents transferred to another college/university. Among the transfer

institutions were community colleges, New Jersey state universities, nursing schools, technical

institutes, and international universities.

Eighty-six percent of respondents said that they would recommend Bergen Community College to a

friend or family member.

Fourteen respondents under the age of 22 indicated that they were unable to navigate BCC processes

(e.g. registration, financial aid, billing, etc.) compared to 8 respondents who were at least 22 years old.

3

Introduction

The Stop-Out Survey was administered to students who had previously enrolled at Bergen Community

College in Fall 2015, but had not re-enrolled in Fall 2016. The intent of the survey was to learn more about

why these students failed to return to BCC. A ten-question, online survey was developed and an invitation to

participate was emailed to the students’ Bergen and personal email addresses on September 15th, 2016. The

survey was sent to 5,641 students. The survey was open from September 15th, 2016 to October 6th, 2016 and

had 298 total respondents. This report analyzes these responses. Appendix A presents findings only for those

students who indicated in Question 1 that their primary reason for enrolling in BCC was to earn an Associate’s

Degree. Appendix B separates the survey results by age range. Appendix C presents the invitation to

participate in the survey and the survey questions.

4

Reasons for Entering Bergen Community College

When asked “What was your primary reason for enrolling in Bergen Community College?” 44% of

respondents said they were at BCC to obtain an associate degree. This was followed by students who wanted

to take courses necessary for transferring to another college (26%). Thirty-three students put “Other” as a

primary reason for enrolling at BCC. When asked to specify, 4 students cited the ALP Program/their desire to

learn English as their reason for attending, another 4 students said they wanted to take General Education

courses or pre-requisites, and 3 students were looking for a way into BCC’s Nursing Program. Table 1 shows

the results of this question.

Table 1: What was your primary reason for enrolling in Bergen Community College?

Primary Reason Freq. %

Personal Interest 27 9%

To take a few job-related courses or for self-improvement 16 5%

To take courses necessary for transferring to another college 77 26%

To obtain or maintain a certification 7 2%

To complete a vocational/technical program 8 3%

To obtain an associate degree 130 44%

Other 33 11%

Total 298 100%

9%5%

26%

2%

3%

44%

11%

Personal Interest

To take a few job-related coursesor for self-improvement

To take courses necessary fortransferring to another college

To obtain or maintain acertification

To complete avocational/technical program

To obtain an associate degree

Other

5

Reasons for not Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College

The students were asked “What made you choose not to re-enroll at Bergen Community College?” and

were given seventeen possible options to choose from and an option to write in any other reasons. One

hundred twenty-five students wrote in other reasons (see page 6 for a breakdown of these reasons). Aside

from the additional reasons, the most popular response was “Issues with financial aid” (62 responses). The

second most popular was “Can no longer afford to attend Bergen Community College” (52 responses). Table 2

shows the results of this question.

Table 2: What made you choose not to re-enroll at Bergen Community College? MARK ALL THAT APPLY.

Reason Freq. %*

Other reason 125 42%

Issues with financial aid 62 21%

Can no longer afford to attend Bergen Community College 52 17%

Unable to balance school with other responsibilities (e.g. work, family, etc.) 39 13%

Decided to take some time off from school 35 12%

Course(s) needed not currently offered 26 9%

Disappointed with the quality of instruction 26 9%

Health-related problem (family or personal) 22 7%

Unable to navigate BCC processes (e.g. registration, financial aid, billing, etc.) 22 7%

Returned to home college/university 18 6%

Uncertainty about the value of a college education 16 5%

Difficulty in obtaining transportation to this college 9 3%

Courses were not challenging 9 3%

Inadequate study habits 9 3%

Felt alone or isolated 7 2%

Child care was unavailable or too costly 5 2%

Desired major was not offered by this college 5 2%

Inadequate facilities for disabled students 2 1% *Because respondents could select more than one option, the total % of respondents will not equal 100%. Each percentage is derived by dividing the number who selected that option by the total number of respondents.

125

62

52

39

35

0 50 100 150

Other reason

Issues with financial aid

Can no longer afford to attend Bergen Community College

Unable to balance school with other responsibilities (e.g.work, family, etc.)

Decided to take some time off from school

What made you choose not to re-enroll at Bergen Community College? Top Five Reasons

6

Reasons for not Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College

(continued)

As noted on the previous page, 125 of the respondents decided to write in an additional reason for not

re-enrolling at BCC. These other reasons ranged from financial issues and family/personal issues to issues with

registration and scheduling/course conflicts. Table 3 shows the breakdown of these responses separated into

fourteen broad categories. Forty-two respondents said that they had already transferred, and/or completed

their desired courses at BCC and another 10 respondents had issues registering for the Fall 2016 semester.

Table 3: Please specify any other reasons for not re-enrolling at BCC.

Other Reason Category Freq. %

Transferred/Completed Desired Courses 42 34%

Registration Issues 10 8%

Family/Personal Issues 9 7%

Scheduling/Course Conflicts 8 6%

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 8 6%

Academic Suspension/Other Judicial Issues 7 6%

Did Not Leave Reason 7 6%

Moved Out Of State 7 6%

Did Not Get Into Desired Health Professions Program 6 5%

Got A Job 6 5%

Plans To Return To Bergen 6 5%

Financial Issues 4 3%

Joined Military/Police Academy 3 2%

Trying To Get Into Health Professions Program 2 2%

Total 125 100%

42

10

9

8

8

0 10 20 30 40 50

Transferred/Completed Desired Courses

Registration Issues

Family/Personal Issues

Scheduling/Course Conflicts

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen

Top Five 'Other' Reasons for Not Re-Enrolling at BCC

7

Transferring to another College/University

The students were asked if they had transferred to another college/university since leaving Bergen

Community College. Eighty-five of the respondents (29%) were enrolled at another college/university at the

time of the survey’s administration. Table 4 shows the breakdown for this question.

Table 4: Have you transferred to another college/university?

Response Freq. %

Yes 85 29%

No 213 71%

Total 298 100%

Yes29%

No71%

8

Transferring to another College/University (continued)

The 85 respondents who had transferred to another college/university at the time of the survey were

asked “What is the name of the college/university you are currently enrolled in?” Sixty-nine respondents

shared their current college/university. Among the transfer institutions were community colleges, New Jersey

state universities, nursing schools, and technical institutes. The majority of the respondents stayed in-state. A

few attended colleges in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Oregon. One student transferred internationally,

attending Gdansk Medical University in Gdansk, Poland. Table 5 shows the breakdown of the 35 transfer

institutions and the number of respondents enrolled in each.

Table 5: What is the name of the college/university you are currently enrolled in?

College/University Name # of Students

Enrolled College/University Name

# of Students Enrolled

Rutgers University 10 Hudson Community College 1

Montclair State University 7 Lincoln Technical Institute 1

Ramapo College 7 Monmouth University 1

County College of Morris 5 New Jersey City University 1

New Jersey Institute of Technology

4

Oregon State University 1

Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing

3

Rhode Island college 1

Passaic County Community College

3

Rowan University 1

William Paterson University 3 Salisbury University 1

Arizona State University 1 Santa Monica College 1

Boston University 1 Seton Hall University 1

Centenary University 1 Southwestern College 1

Chamberlain College of Nursing 1 SUNY Maritime College 1

Dominican College 1 Sussex Community College 1

Eastern International College 1

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy

1

Fairleigh Dickinson University 1 Thomas Edison State University 1

Felician University 1 Tri-County Technical College 1

Full Sail University 1 University of Scranton 1

Gdansk Medical University 1 Total 69

9

Re-enrolling at Bergen Community College

The respondents who indicated that they had not transferred to a college/university since leaving BCC

were asked, “Do you plan to re-enroll at Bergen at any point in the future?” 68% (142 respondents) said they

intended to return while 9% (19 respondents) said they had no intention of re-enrolling. Twenty-three percent

(49 respondents) were undecided. Table 6 shows the results of this question.

Table 6: Do you plan to re-enroll at Bergen at any point in the future?

Response Freq. %

Yes 142 68%

No 19 9%

Undecided 49 23%

Total 210 100%

Students who answered “Yes” or “Undecided” to the previous question were asked as a follow-up

question “When do you plan to re-enroll?” Sixty-three percent (112 respondents) indicated that they plan to

re-enroll within the next year. Thirty percent (54 respondents) were unsure. Table 7 shows the results of this

question.

Table 7: When do you plan to re-enroll?

Response Freq. %

Not Sure 54 30%

In less than a year 112 63%

1-5 years 12 7%

6+ years 1 1%

Total 179 100%

Yes68%

No9%

Undecided23%

Not Sure30%

In less than a year63%

1-5 years7%

6+ years<1%

10

Planning to Transfer to another College/University

The respondents who indicated that they had not transferred to a college/university since leaving BCC

were asked “Are you planning to transfer to another college/university?” Of the 205 respondents to this

question, 71 (24%) indicated that they were planning to transfer to another college/university. The results

from this question are shown in Table 8.

Table 8: Are you planning to transfer to another college/university?

Response Freq. %

Yes 71 35%

No 134 65%

Total 205 100%

The 71 respondents who said they were planning to transfer to another college/university were asked

as a follow-up question, “What is the name of the college/university you are planning on transferring to?” Fifty

respondents shared their potential college/university. The majority of respondents were planning to attend

New Jersey institutions such as Montclair State University, William Paterson University, and Ramapo College.

Table 9 shows the breakdown of the 21 institutions and the number of respondents who were planning to

transfer to each.

Table 9: What is the name of the college/university you are planning on transferring to?

College/University Name # of Students Planning to Enroll

Montclair State University 12

William Paterson University 6

Ramapo College 4

Fashion Institute of Technology 3

New Jersey Institute of Technology 3

Rutgers University 3

Berkeley College 2

Fairleigh Dickinson University 2

Full Sail University 2

New York University 2

Arizona State University 1

Cornell University 1

Eastwick College 1

Georgia State University 1

Hunter College 1

Jersey City University 1

New Age Training 1

Northwest Vista College 1

Nova Southeastern University 1

School of Visual Arts 1

University of California, Los Angeles 1

Total 50

11

Recommending Bergen Community College

Students were asked whether they would recommend Bergen Community College to a friend. Two

hundred thirty-seven respondents (86%) said they would recommend BCC. Table 10 shows the results of this

question.

Table 10: Would you recommend Bergen Community College to a friend?

Response Freq. %

Yes 237 86%

No 40 14%

Total 277 100%

Yes86%

No14%

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Recommending Bergen Community College (continued)

The 40 respondents who indicated they would not recommend Bergen Community College to a friend

were asked to explain this choice. Out of the 40 respondents, 23 provided an explanation. The responses are

grouped into 4 broad categories in Table 11 below. Reasons ranged from the issues with the financial aid

process to unhappiness with the Bergen experience.

Table 11: If you would not recommend BCC, why not?

Reason for not Recommending BCC # of Responses

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 8

BCC is Unorganized 6

Issues with Faculty/Staff 5

Issues with Financial Aid Process 4

8

6

5

4

0 2 4 6 8 10

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen

BCC is Unorganized

Issues with Faculty/Staff

Issues with Financial Aid Process

13

Additional Comments

At the end of the survey, the students were asked to provide additional comments regarding their

experience at Bergen Community College. In total, 108 students left comments, which were very different in

nature and covered a wide range of topics. As Table 12 shows, of the 108 comments, 21 of them were positive

remarks about BCC (19%) while 29 of them were negative in nature (27%). Twenty-seven respondents (25%)

expressed their intentions to re-enroll in BCC at some point in the future.

Table 12: Please provide any additional comments on your exit from BCC.

Type of Comment Freq. %

Negative Comment about BCC 29 27%

Intentions to Return to BCC 27 25%

Positive Comment about BCC 21 19%

Personal/Health Issues 20 19%


Total 108 100%

27%25%

19% 19%

10%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

NegativeComment about

BCC

Intentions toReturn to BCC

Positive Commentabout BCC

Personal/HealthIssues

Financial Issues

14

Additional Comments (continued)

Tables 13-17 below show the 108 additional comments grouped together in five broad categories. The

comments were not corrected for grammar, they are transcribed below verbatim.

Table 13: Negative Comments about BCC

1. Worst experience ever

2. What happened to the days when you can actually sit down with a registration employee or financial aid employee without standing on lines that are two hours long? I really miss the good ol days when there was one to one communication, and one actually cared.

3. This college needs to organize themselves and make the students their priority other than having them follow a paper that was started, we change ideas and pursue other things and no one is there to give a helping hand unless you look for it, everything is late

4. The selection of languages in your World language category has been very disappointing.

5. The college financial aid doesn't except certain things from tax transcript that irs doesn't have a problem with matter of fact it's ok to file the way I did, but the college itself is not ok with it. It takes weeks maybe months to almost a year to fix what the college what's that will end up costing so much money that I barely have anyway. I planned to attend college this semester determined to pass because I refuse to fail or give up on anything and the college crushed that hope this semester, hopefully next semester I can attend and hopefully I save up enough money to attend during the summer.

6. Paralegal Studies Department would not work with me on changing fall 2016 class schedule in order for me to graduate this fall.

7. Online registration should be more accommodating to those who work full time.

8. My transcripts were not evaluated until I Called and visited the person doing that job, which led to me not "having" the prerequisites for the nursing program, although I did have all the necessary prerequisites so my application was denied. Even the current courses I was taking did not show up in the system so the nursing application was not even considered Bc they could not look in the system and see that I was enrolled in these classes and had a 4.0 gpa. I do not need financial aid and was hoping to go to school here. I even wrote to the nursing school president and never got a response. I mean who does that!

9. It would be helpful to have email addresses for financial aid advisors so that one can get responses personally.

10. I'm not very experienced with online navigating and found it very difficult to get to the information and processes needed to check for certain classes and register successfully without it becoming very time consuming and frustrating.

11. I was very disappointed about my experience last Fall. I needed to take those courses as part as a state requirement to work as a child therapist. However, my Bach in psychology and my experience as a professional were not enough to be mistreated by a professor. Therefore, there was a major incident that required a proper diciplinary action towards a professor. This action never happened because there was a lot of bourocracy and it was not easy access as a student to report it properly

12. I was just reinstated and was not given any help getting into classes I had to take and therefore seem unable to attend.

13. I was just having a lot of difficulty with financial aid. I didnt understand why it was so complicated. I got the information I needed but everything is still very confusing. Even though I went a good couple of times to figure out what was going on, it still was confusing. The whole service department needs to be a lot more helpful and patient with students who seriously need the help.

14. I hope you really improve with the resources and make sure to give people extra help

15. I felt very isolated here and for the first time in my life I felt discriminated due to my skin color

16. I feel the school takes advantage of students and assumes they are all wealthy enough to not care about the money grubbing policies.

15

17. I feel that BCC do not have the students best interest at heart. The faculty is more concerned about own personal advancement then that of the students and that is a shame considering that we help pay their salaries. Don't misunderstand me, I am aii for advancement but not at the expense of the students.

18. I didn't like that no one there seemed to know the answer to any questions I had. Often, I was told, "I think." Only to find out they were completely wrong. It made my time there horrible.

19. Have to back to my country Education was not intensive so decided to leave

20. Have a more flexible program for dental hygiene.

21. Get better staff who are willing to help and be patient with the financial aid. I know there are many more students who can't afford it, but are smart and willing to work for it.

22. F*** out of my face. You better have physical transcripts ready, when I come in, because I won't pay for your bulls*** delivery service and when I called to solve it, they told me to call you guys. Nobody f***ing called me back.

23. Financial aid needs help. Rude and unhelpful people working there. Feels like a question is too much for them to answer. Must be friendly and helpful. Needs to let people know ahead of time if things are missing I was let know in August when it takes four weeks to review I had to drop my fall classes very unhappy with the help

24. Everything was confirmed with my financial aid, up until I tried to get my books from the book store. They told me to go to the financial aid window, and when I did the lady told me that I am missing a marriage verification form. I have never gotten an email nor a notice about this form, but I did receive an estimate. However, the next day (September 8th) all of my classes were dropped. I went to the window and they told me I now have to register for Fall 2. This process was bothersome, and it did not help that the financial aid office at the school was uninformative and rude. The schools offices should be looking at the bigger picture of the education being gained than trying to swindle innocent, tax paying students from their earned money. Extensions should be offered based on the situation.

25. dont make people take classes they have no interest in taking. it causes unnecessary and unwanted stress

26. Didnt want to exit was forced to because how long the financial aid takes.

27. Besides not feeling guided or feeling like I have someone I can ask for instruction and help.. The financial aid program really does not help and offer anything but loans. My mom had lost her job and financial aid only offered loans making it very difficult to pay

28. ASU has a community built into it. Everyone wants to help you succeed and grow. Bergen doesn't do any of that. Not once was I able to meet with an actual advisor. I did all the registering myself.

29. A lot of the professors I had didn't care that I worked full time. In fact one of them even said at the beginning of her class that if you had to work then you shouldn't take her class. Well not all of us have people paying for their school. I had to support my family while going to school and I feel that some professors should have been more understanding of that.

Table 14: Comments related to Students’ Intentions to Return to BCC

1. will be back soon

2. It is not an exit. I just need to make sure that I can handle the extra work responsibilities. So my studies and grades do not suffer.

3. Im going to go back to the school to finish my ASL program as soon as I can..

4. I'm coming back in the Spring

5. I would love to go back and get a Health Science Degree,for Spring 2017.

6. I wish I could come back.

7. I will register in November. To continue nursing program

8. I will be returning, just needed to make some money to afford to return

9. I will be enrolling this monday for fall 2 , I did not drop out of school

10. I will be back to Bergen next semester (spring)

11. I will be back for the 2017 spring semester!!

12. I wasn't able to join fall semester, joining winter

13. I plan on returning this winter session

16

14. I plan on enrolling in spring, I'm just saving this semester

15. I have not exit out I had applied for the nursing program. I have no other clases to give. Taking micro at ccm because of better schedule for me. But returning to Bergen

16. I don't see it as an exit - A pause -

17. I do plan to return. I did not have the proper guidance.

18. I did not exit, I plan on returning.

19. I am through with all my prerequisites geared towards the nursing program but I am still undecided if I wish to come back to BCC to complete it or transfer out to a 4 year college.

20. I am only trying to finish all my credentials to enter the nursing program. But the class I am missing is not available this semester which is chemistry, then after taking it I will be able to take the placement test and enroll the program. I was very disappointed when I enter in the summer 2 the class was cancel because of not enough students. And when I went for the fall 2016 not many were available. So now I have to wait

21. I am not exiting. My financial aid is processing.

22. i am not exiting i want to return in the spring semester.

23. I am just taking a long break from school since I will be going to basic training for army early next year. I will be returning once I am done with army.

24. Have 2 more classes to take to graduate but were not offered in Fall, only in spring. They would not substitute with any other classes. Have to wait to spring.

25. FALL 2 REGISTRATION

26. As I said before I had a baby in July and needed time off to recover, but will be returning to take more classes in the spring semester.

27. Actually for me BBC was an amazing experience. i am planning to enroll again depending on FAID but actually it was a great experience amazing teachers and people

Table 15: Positive Comments about BCC

1. Would recommend to anyone.

2. would like to come back at night to complete my degree. I am currently in the Police Academy.

3. Was very satisfied my 2 semesters there. :)

4. Was easy and successful.

5. Overall experience is great.

6. My experience at BCC was wonderful. I have not return due to failure in the nursing program.

7. It was a rewarding experience. My professor was excellent.

8. It was a great school, but it was my time to move on to bigger and better things.

9. I truly miss BCC. I loved all my professors and really grew as a student and as a person. I will come back to BCC just to take a few other classes. But for now, I'm working on my occupational therapy studies.

10. I still plan to attend Bergen for Fall (2) on September 21. I am currently gathering my money to pay off bursar. Bergen is a great school.

11. I really do appreciate those professors who teach there who do try to hold a higher standard in what appears to be a challenging work environment. I just wish the school itself were more stable in its structure and that the standards across the board where higher.

12. I really did enjoy the time I had at bergen I wished It had worked out.

13. i loved BCC. My professor, Tzianna Quatrone was excellent. i felt the students were intelligent and hard working.

14. I love the school but I'm not in a rush to get my degree due to the unrelated nature of my profession. I also needed some time off so I could move into a new house without overburdening myself between work, school, and family life. Thanks.

15. I had a great experience in Level I of the Nursing Program. Very rigorous and prepared me well for Rutgers ABSN

16. Great Esl program! Thank you! I am satisfied with professors and your curriculum.

17. Great community college. Happy with my overall experience

17

18. Bergen community college is a great school , but it was not in my town .

19. BCC was a great school with excellent professors and at an affordable price. Thank you.

20. BCC is a wonderful college and for anybody who is attending the staff and students are spectacular.

21. As a whole, the College is a great experience with most Professors that will engage the class, that will give you great teaching techniques and life lessons that we can carry with us (beyond the classroom). I would like to see more Professors hired especially in subjects that are needed, as long as, they are experienced, dedicated and approachable in what they do in my opinion, this will help students navigate, motivate and dedicate implementing school and of course, more added Saturday hours would be great!

Table 16: Comments related to Students’ Personal/Health Issues

1. There was Certain situation that happened in BCC that made me leave. That situation I can't explain to you because its personal and if you want to know why ask the Student Life and Conduct deans on the reason why and you will know either way sorry but I am considering on not returning to your school for my own reasons, safety, and fears of being jailed without any reason of doubt thank you and have a great day/evening. Sorry for the leave but I am dropping out of your school thank you once more and goodbye.

2. Thanks, and I'll try to find a job with a better schedule.

3. Sick parent needed my help.

4. New mommy,i want to come back soon

5. My parents due to work moved out of NJ to Maryland and so I had to transfer school.

6. Just have a lot of work during this time

7. It was simply a stressful time in my life which took its toll on my academic performance. I want to return upon taking care of the issues I have outside of school first.

8. If it was closer to my home and i was capable of maintaining what i need to do at home i would have loved to stay and continue the vet tech program

9. I would take online courses from here, but I don't have the time or the responsibility to do so.

10. i will try to register earlier for next semester. I was not able to register for classes i wanted to take, since i have a full time job i have to balance my schedule

11. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and have already started treatment. I hope I can register in the spring of 2017.

12. i needed late night classes but there werent any available after 7:30

13. I need to work while studying

14. I lost my brother and I didn't feel doing my major. I was out of country for the summer so I missed the summer and spring semester.

15. I just had a baby and need some time for recovery.

16. I have been away treating myself due to cancer. Plan on going back soon

17. I got too distracted by outside things (family, work, boyfriend). Lost track of good study habits, but am eager to try again

18. I actually stopped attending mostly because I picked up a second job and don't quite have to time to continue for now. Will most likely return at some point in the future to take more classes.

19. honestly, need more hoes with different area codes

20. Health problem

Table 17: Comments related to the Students’ Financial Issues

1. My father recently passed away so I'm waiting on the right paperwork to finish my Fiancial aid.

2. If they would've let me make a payment plan and still enroll for my classes i would've stayed. I just wish they were more understanding that not everyone has 2,000 chilling under the mattress

3. If I ever have the money, I would very much like to come back.

4. I'm out of county so it's more expensive and I don't qualify for financial aid. Federal loans help but not completely, and I'm not too aware about scholarships at Bergen so they should make it more known.

5. I'll consider any help with my tuition.

18

6. i would like to found help to star as soon as possible please call me i have issue with my finantial aid and i lost my classes

7. I only transferring because of the things my "friends" said about taking science and math courses at a community college. Though it was also because of the amount of attention I had from several random people... Anyway, they said it would make it less likely for me to get accepted into medical school. They made me believe I would get bad grades and ruin my chance to pursue medicine if I were to continue, but I believe I would have gotten A's in those courses with all my hard work. Peer pressure shouldn't have changed my decision to save money on college and feel comfortable in my environment.

8. I have not exited. The only reason I didn't go to every semester is because of tuition. Looking at my history with tuition, I've spent about $13,000 out of my own pocket and I've received amazing grades but money is also the reason I can't constantly keep going. I work for my money and I am going to earn my degree before I leave. I just wish it was sooner than later.

9. I can't afford it right now but I am definitely returning in the near future.

10. Don't have the funds at the moment

11. Can't afford the few classes I need to take to graduate

19

Appendix A

The main purpose of this survey was to learn why students who were enrolled at BCC in Fall 2015 did

not re-enroll in Fall 2016. While this report is both comprehensive and informative on that subject matter, it

does not take into account the different intentions of the student body at BCC. A student who is enrolled for

one semester to take a few courses for transfer to a 4-year college or a vocational program may not be looking

for the same experience as a student who has come to Bergen to earn an Associate’s Degree.

While BCC caters to both traditional and nontraditional students, one of the main goals of the college

is to award Associate’s Degrees to those seeking them. For this reason, the respondents who indicated in

question one that they were at BCC to earn an associate’s degree were parceled out. Included in this Appendix

are the answers these 130 respondents provided for the remaining questions of the Stop-Out Survey.

Question 2: What made you choose not to re-enroll at Bergen Community College? MARK ALL THAT APPLY.

Reason Freq. %*

Other reason 43 33%

Issues with financial aid 40 31%

Can no longer afford to attend Bergen Community College 33 25%

Unable to balance school with other responsibilities (e.g. work, family, etc.) 21 16%

Decided to take some time off from school 17 13%

Course(s) needed not currently offered 12 9%

Unable to navigate BCC processes (e.g. registration, financial aid, billing, etc.) 11 8%

Health-related problem (family or personal) 10 8%

Disappointed with the quality of instruction 8 6%

Uncertainty about the value of a college education 8 6%

Difficulty in obtaining transportation to this college 5 4%

Inadequate study habits 5 4%

Courses were not challenging 4 3%

Returned to home college/university 3 2%

Child care was unavailable or too costly 2 2%

Desired major was not offered by this college 2 2%

Felt alone or isolated 1 1%

Inadequate facilities for disabled students 1 1% *Because respondents could select more than one option, the total % of respondents will not equal 100%. Each percentage is derived by dividing the number who selected that option by the total number of respondents.

20

Question 2a: Please specify any other reasons for not re-enrolling at BCC.

Other Reason Category Freq. %

Family/Personal Issues 6 7%

Transferred/Completed Desired Courses 5 6%

Registration Issues 4 5%

Scheduling/Course Conflicts 4 5%

Plans To Return To Bergen 4 5%


Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 3 3%

Academic Suspension/Other Judicial Issues 3 3%

Did Not Get Into Desired Health Professions Program 3 3%

Got A Job 3 3%

Joined Military/Police Academy 2 2%

Moved Out Of State 1 1%

Trying To Get Into Health Professions Program 1 1%

Total 87 100%

Question 3: Have you transferred to another college/university?

Response Freq. %

Yes 21 16%

No 109 84%

Total 130 100%

Question 3a: What is the name of the college/university you are currently enrolled in?

College/University Name # of Students Enrolled

Passaic Community College 3

County College of Morris 2


Chamberlain College of Nursing 1

Eastern International College 1

Felician University 1

Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing 1


Oregon State University 1

Ramapo College of New Jersey 1

Rutgers University 1

Salisbury University 1

Southwestern College 1

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy 1

Total 18

21

Question 4: Do you plan to re-enroll at Bergen at any point in the future?

Response Freq. %

Yes 89 83%

No 5 5%

Undecided 13 12%

Total 107 100%

Question 4a: When do you plan to re-enroll?

Response Freq. %

Not Sure 20 20%

In less than a year 76 75%

1-5 years 5 5%

6+ years 0 0%

Total 101 100%

Question 5: Are you planning to transfer to another college/university?

Response Freq. %

Yes 37 35%

No 68 65%

Total 105 100%

Question 5a: What is the name of the college/university you are planning on transferring to?

College/University Name # of Students Planning to Enroll


William Paterson University 5

Ramapo College of New Jersey 3

Berkeley College 2

Fairleigh Dickinson University 2


Arizona State University 1

Fashion Institute of Technology 1

Full Sail University 1

Georgia State University 1

Montclair 1

New York University 1

Northwest Vista College 1

Nova southeastern university 1

School of Visual Arts 1

Total 30

22

Question 6: Would you recommend Bergen Community College to a friend?

Response Freq. %

Yes 104 85%

No 19 15%

Total 123 100%

Question 6a: If you would not recommend BCC, why not?

Reason for not Recommending BCC # of Responses

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 3

BCC is Unorganized 3

Issues with Financial Aid Process 3

Issues with Faculty/Staff 2

23

Appendix B

Respondents were asked to provide their age on the survey. In Appendix B, the results from the survey are

parceled out by age to see why certain age groups attend and choose to not re-enroll at Bergen Community

College.

Question 1: For what purpose did you enter Bergen Community College?

Reason 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older Unknown

Personal Interest 8 8 9 2

To take a few job-related courses or for self-improvement 3 6 6 1

To take courses necessary for transferring to another college 39 22 10 6

To obtain or maintain a certification 2 1 2 2

To complete a vocational/technical program 2 4 2 0

To obtain an associate degree 49 49 29 3

Other 9 12 11 1

Total 112 102 69 15

Question 2: What made you choose to not re-enroll at Bergen Community College? MARK ALL THAT APPLY.

Reason 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older Unknown

Can no longer afford to attend Bergen Community College 19 21 9 3

Child care was unavailable or too costly 2 1 2 0

Course(s) needed not currently offered 9 11 6 0

Courses were not challenging 5 3 1 0

Decided to take some time off from school 19 10 6 0

Desired major was not offered by this college 4 0 0 1

Difficulty in obtaining transportation to this college 6 2 0 1

Disappointed with the quality of instruction 8 11 6 1

Felt alone or isolated 5 2 0 0

Health-related problem (family or personal) 5 8 6 3

Inadequate facilities for disabled students 1 1 0 0

Inadequate study habits 6 2 1 0

Issues with financial aid 27 23 9 3

Returned to home college/university 9 5 2 2

Unable to balance school with other responsibilities (e.g. work, family, etc.) 16 12 11 0

Unable to navigate BCC processes (e.g. registration, financial aid, billing, etc.) 14 2 6 0

Uncertainty about the value of a college education 9 6 0 1

Other reason 46 43 30 6

24

Question 2a: Please specify any other reasons for not re-enrolling at BCC.

Other Reason Category 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older Unknown

Academic Suspension/Other Judicial Issues 3 3 1 0

Did Not Get Into Desired Health Professions Program 1 2 3 0

Did Not Leave Reason 3 2 0 2

Family/Personal Issues 0 6 2 1

Financial Issues 0 3 1 0

Got A Job 0 4 2 0

Joined Military/Police Academy 2 1 0 0

Moved Out Of State 4 2 0 1

Plans To Return To Bergen 4 1 1 0

Registration Issues 2 2 6 0

Scheduling/Course Conflicts 4 0 4 0

Transferred/Completed Desired Courses 19 14 7 2

Trying To Get Into Health Professions Program 0 0 2 0

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 4 3 1 0

Total 46 43 30 6

Question 3: Have you transferred to another college/university?

Response 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older Unknown

Yes 42 19 14 10

No 70 83 55 5

Total 112 102 69 15

25

Question 3a: What is the name of the college/university you are currently enrolled in?

College/University Name 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older Unknown

Arizona State University - 1 - -

Boston University - 1 - -

Centenary University - 1 - -

Chamberlain college of Nursing 1 - - -

County College of Morris 2 - 3 -

Dominican College - - 1 -

Eastern International College - 1 - -

Fairleigh Dickinson University 1 - - -

Felician University - - 1 -

Full Sail University 1 - - -

Gdansk Medical University 1 - - -

Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing 1 1 1 -

Hudson Community College 1 - - -

Lincoln Technical Institute 1 - - -

Monmouth University 1 - - -

Montclair State University 3 1 2 1

New Jersey City University 1 - - -

New Jersey Institute of Technology 4 - - -

Oregon State University - 1 - -

Passaic Community College 3 - - -

Ramapo College of New Jersey 6 1 - -

Rhode Island College 1 - - -

Rowan University 1 - - -

Rutgers University 2 6 1 1

Salisbury University 1 - - -

Santa Monica College 1 - - -

Seton Hall University - 1 - -

Southwestern College 1 - - -

SUNY Maritime College - 1 - -

Sussex Community College 1 - - -

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy 1 - - -

Thomas Edison State University - - 1 -

Tri-County Technical College - 1 - -

University of Scranton 1 - - -

William Paterson University 3 - - -

Total 40 17 10 2

26

Question 4: Do you plan to re-enroll at Bergen at any point in the future?


Yes 47 55 39 1

No 6 8 5 0

Undecided 17 20 11 1

Total 70 83 55 2

Question 4a: When do you plan to re-enroll?


Not Sure 16 22 15 1

In less than a year 43 42 27 0

1-5 years 3 6 3 0

6+ years 0 1 0 0

Total 62 71 45 1

Question 5: Are you planning to transfer to another college/university?


Yes 29 29 13 0

No 37 54 41 2

Total 66 83 54 2

Question 5a: What is the name of the college/university you are planning on transferring to?

College/University Name 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older

Arizona State University 1 - -

Berkeley College - 1 1

Cornell University 1 - -

Eastwick College 1 - -

Fairleigh Dickinson University - 2 -

Fashion Institute of Technology 1 1 1

Full sail University - 2 -

Georgia State University - 1 -

Hunter College - - 1

Jersey City University - 1 -

Montclair State University 4 3 5

New Age Training 1 - -

New York University 1 - 1

New Jersey Institute of Technology 2 - 1

Northwest Vista College 1 - -

Nova Southeastern University - 1 -

Ramapo College of New Jersey 2 2 -

Rutgers University 1 2 -

School of Visual Arts 1 - -

University of California - 1 -

William Paterson University 2 3 1

Total 19 20 11

27

Question 6: Would you recommend Bergen Community College to a friend?

Response 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older

Yes 94 86 57

No 15 14 11

Total 109 100 68

Question 6a: If you would not recommend BCC, why not?

Reason for Not Recommending BCC 21 and under 22 to 29 30 and older

BCC is Unorganized 1 3 2

Issues with Faculty/Staff 2 1 2

Issues with Financial Aid Process 2 1 1

Unhappy With Experience At Bergen 5 1 2

Total 10 6 7

28

Appendix C

Invitation to Participate

Greetings Student, Our records indicate that you were recently enrolled at Bergen Community College, but have not registered for the Fall 2016 semester. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve service to our students, I am asking that you fill out this short survey, which will allow Bergen Community College to better understand the reasons why you may have not returned to the College. Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bccsto Thank you for your participation and I look forward to welcoming you back on campus in the near future! Sincerely, Dr. Yun Kim Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness Bergen Community College www.bergen.edu

Survey Questions

1. What was your primary reason for enrolling in Bergen Community College? MARK ONLY ONE ANSWER

CHOICE.

2. What made you choose not to re-enroll at Bergen Community College? MARK ALL THAT APPLY

3. Have you transferred to another college/university?

a. If yes, what is the name of the college/university you are currently enrolled in?

4. Do you plan to re-enroll at Bergen at any point in the future?

a. If yes, when do you plan to enroll?

5. Are you planning to transfer to another college/university?

a. If yes, what is the name of the college/university you are planning on transferring to?

6. Would you recommend Bergen Community College to a friend?

a. Please explain your answer choice.

7. Please select your age range.

8. Please provide any additional comments regarding your exit from Bergen Community College.

9. Please enter your Bergen Community College student ID number if you no longer wish to receive

future emails regarding this survey.

stop-out survey report - bergen.edu

Documents